The present invention relates to amusement rides and, more particularly, to an amusement ride allowing for enhanced control of the rider""s experience.
Myriad amusement rides are known in the art for propelling riders vertically and/or horizontally. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,421,783 discloses a human slingshot amusement ride, wherein elastic cords propel a carrier between two elongated towers. Another prior art amusement ride designed to approximate the feeling of free fall includes a carrier movably mounted in vertical tower. When the carrier reaches the top, it is released in a free fall guided by the track. In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,267,906 discloses a swing-type amusement ride wherein a rider swings from a cord connected to a tower. To initiate the ride, the rider is lifted in the air and released to swing like a pendulum. While the prior art rides fulfill their respective objectives, once the carrier is released, they do not allow for precise, real-time control over the action of the ride and, therefore, the rider""s experience.
The present invention provides an amusement ride that allows for enhanced control of the ride path and, thus, the riders"" experience. In one embodiment, the present invention allows for manual control of the acceleration, speed and direction of the carrier into which at least one rider is secured. The amusement ride of the present invention comprises a track, a carrier engaging the track and moveable along the track, a control system, and a propulsion mechanism operably connected to the control system. According to the invention, the propulsion mechanism is also operably connected to the carrier to displace the carrier along the track in response to control signals from the control system.
In one embodiment, riders sit in and are strapped into specially designed chairs attached to the carrier. In one embodiment, the present invention allows a pair of riders to move up or down a track that can either be vertical, horizontal, or inclined at some angle. In one embodiment, a control device (such as a joystick similar to that used for a video game) is positioned between each pair of riders. In this embodiment, the joystick can be pushed or pulled by one of the pair of riders to control movement of the carrier.
In one embodiment, the ride""s motion is controlled by one of the two riders. In another embodiment, the ride operator controls the ride""s motion. In one embodiment, the control system includes a joystick. Other suitable controls include buttons, dials and the like. In one embodiment, the joystick that controls the ride""s motion sends signals to the control system on the ground via a cable that is attached to the chair and runs down to the ground. At the ground is a cable reel that takes up the slack or pays out the amount of cable that is needed. In another embodiment, the joystick or control interface communicates wirelessly with the control system.
According to one embodiment, the carrier housing the rider(s) is lifted into the air or pulled back down by wires or cables that are pulled in and released by a propulsion mechanism. In one embodiment, the propulsion mechanism comprises a hydraulic ram and a propulsion magnification system including a block and tackle system. In one embodiment, the wires wind around numerous sheaves in such a way so that if the hydraulic ram extends by 10 feet then the chair is pulled 120 feet into the air. This system is classified as a 12:1 block and tackle system. The speed of the chair then is also 12 times the speed of the ram. In one embodiment, a pneumatic ram is substituted for the hydraulic ram. In another embodiment, the propulsion mechanism comprises a high-speed electric winch operably connected to a control system, instead of a ram and propulsion magnification system.